Saving Seafood

LSU Sea Grant’s Director Julie Lively Balances Organization’s Mission With Seafood Community’s Hurricane Recovery

April 18, 2022 — Sea Grant’s mission is to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal and marine resources in order to create a sustainable economy and environment.  With four hurricanes in two years, Julie Lively, the executive director of Louisiana Sea Grant at LSU, has had to balance the organizational mission with that of assisting the state’s seafood community’s recovery from the storms.

“I have been on a lot of calls with the EDA, FEMA, NOAA and other government organizations,” said the director who is also sits as a member of the Louisiana Fishing Community Recovery Coalition (LFCRC).  “On one of them I was asked to provide a rough list of bulleted items caused by the storms.  Marine debris in the water topped my list. Several members on the call were like, ‘who did a bad job at cleaning up?’ We just all stopped on the call and went “like what”, and they asked again. ‘Who didn’t do a very good job when they cleaned it up?”

Read the full story at the Gulf Seafood Foundation

 

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Grant Bundy Wonders if He Will Recover

April 11, 2022 — Sitting on a wooden porch swing hanging from what is left of his shrimp dock on Bayou Barataria, Grant Bundy is still in shock.  For nore than seven months since Hurricane Ida blew through Jean Lafitte leaving little behind, he has tried and tried; and then tried again to unsuccessfully get a loan from th Small Business Administration (SBA) to fix his docks, only one of two remaining along the bayou.

“I have to rebuild because I don’t know anything else,” said the owner of Bundy’s Seafood. “This is my whole life right here.  I could probably go get a job and start at the bottom, but I can’t support my family on minimum wage.  This is my life; I’m not going anywhere.  I’m going to rebuild every time.”

Bundy, who turns fifty this year, has been a lifelong resident of the Town of Jean Lafitte. With no insurance on his business, which also includes boat storage sheds and a rental house, he immediately applied for SBA loan so he could start repairs on the more than $300,000 in damages Ida inflicted.

“I need some help fixing my place up.  I’m not asking for nothing.  I would like to get an SBA loan; I’d pay it back.  I’ d like to get my place back the way it was so I can make some money,” he told Gulf Seafood News. “Right now I am fixing a little bit at a time as I make a few dollars.  It’s looking like the $300,000 worth of damage will all have to come out of my pocket.”

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

 

Louisiana Receives $1.7 Billion in Unexpected Federal Hurricane Relief

March 24, 2022 — Four hurricanes and two tropical storms later, hard hit areas of Louisiana will be the recipient of an unexpected $1.7 billion in federal hurricane relief dollars. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Gov. John Bel Edwards, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and Rep. Garret Graves announced the new funding that provided a major infusion to the $600 million previously approved, raising to more than $1 billion the total amount of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery money available for recovery from these storms.

“I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for their commitment to helping our communities and those around the nation recover from the impacts of these devastating storms,” said Gov. Edwards in a press release.  “I contacted Sec. Fudge to personally thank her for this significant allocation that should provide Louisiana with an opportunity to implement a more effective, albeit late, recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. In addition, Louisiana will receive $1.27 billion for recovery from Hurricane Ida and other 2021 disasters. However, the need is much greater, which everyone we have spoken with in Washington acknowledges. We will continue working to secure that additional funding.”

The funds are part of a $5 billion supplemental disaster appropriation Congress enacted in September of last year for all disasters countrywide in 2020-21.  Approximately $450 million will go to Louisiana’s southwest region to cover unmet needs stemming from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, which struck in 2020. The remaining allocated for communities hit by Hurricane Ida last year. Additionally Baton Rouge would receive $4.6 million and $10.8 million to Lake Charles.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

 

Cancer Spreading Through Louisiana Waterways Could Be Eradicated By Mouth

March 2, 2022 — A silent and deadly cancer is spreading throughout the bayous and rivers of Louisiana; as well as Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri all the way to Illinois, Minnesota and the gates of the Great Lakes. Asian carp has overtaken the Mississippi River System threatening the ecosystem, as well as multi-million dollar recreational and commercial fishing industries.

“All our rivers and bayous are connected to the Mississippi, and they all have Asian Carp,” said Baton Rouge Chef Philippe Parola, who for more than 10-years has made it his mission to find a solution to the ever-widening problem.  “Our problem is nobody really cares and there is no way to eradicate them.”

These insatiable giants were first imported in the 1970s to remove algae from ponds, but were displaced by flooding and spilled into the waterways where they now crowd out favorites like catfish, shrimp and buffalo fish.

Eye On Asian Carp

The Bayou Chef has had his eye on the Asian carp situation since Hurricane Katrina and he is not been shy about expressing his frustration over the slow bureaucracy of addressing the serious threat to the ecosystem.  He feels it is imperative to be proactive in handling the problem and has come up with what he feels is a solution.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

After 2019 Mississippi River flood, Louisiana fishers might soon see disaster relief

February 22, 2022 — Louisiana fishers might soon see federal disaster relief more than two years after the unprecedented flooding of 2019 — now considered the longest flood on record — devastated much of the commercial industry.

For more than four months, freshwater was diverted through the Bonnet Carre Spillway to relieve pressure on the levees along the Mississippi River. In that time, the influx of river water killed millions of pounds of oysters and disrupted the balance required for species like shrimp, crab or menhaden to thrive. Fertilizers in the water created pockets of hypoxia, or “dead zones,” and harmful algal blooms.

Distribution of $58 million through several state grant programs could begin as early as June, should the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approve the spending plan drafted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Relief for a flood that cost fishers at least $101 million in lost revenue has been slow, delayed after several more disasters struck the industry, including the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Read the full story at WWNO

More than $4M in grant funds awarded to help Louisiana seafood industry

February 16, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced funds to support the Louisiana seafood industry.

The funds are an investment of $4,229,669 in grants to support Louisiana seafood processors, processing facilities, and processing vessels for expenses related to COVID-19.

According to the state, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority (LAFA) has been selected to administer the Louisiana Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program (LSPPRS) as a result of the grant award.

The program is funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Read the full story at KATC News

Rep. Graves Asks Commerce For Expedited Fishery Disaster Determination

February 7, 2022 — A recently released report detailing infrastructure, revenue and resource loss to Louisiana Fisheries have prompted a Louisiana Congressmen to ask the Department of Commerce (DOC) to expedite a Fishery Disaster Determination due to major damage related to impacts of Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and especially Ida.

Congressman Garret Graves request to to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo comes after a recent economic assessment verified the devastating impact to the state’s fishing communities.

The recently released report by Louisiana Sea Grant and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries documents extreme damage and loss of revenue over all five sectors of the industry; commercial fishermen, recreational fishing, docks, processors and marinas.

The report and supporting analysis not only confirmed the importance of the state’s fishing industry but also the massive impact of the storms. It demonstrated more than 8,500 businesses were impacted, resulting in $305 million in damage to fisheries infrastructures such as marinas, docks, seafood processors, and dealers. Combined with an additional $118 million in resource loss and $155 million revenue loss, the total estimated impact is estimated at $579 million.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

Louisiana Seafood Economic Damage Assessment Opens Door For U.S. Seafood To Assess Treatment in Disasters

February 1, 2022 — Halfway between Lafayette and Abbeville on Highway U.S. 167 is the little town of Maurice.  A short hop-skip and a jump off the highway lays a backyard seafood store known for some of the freshest, highest quality shrimp and seafood in the state. Instead of a garage you find a homemade freezer housing Granger’s Seafood’s own brand of shrimp, crab, alligator, and other Louisiana products.  Problem; like a lot of the rest of Louisiana seafood industry theirs is in jeopardy of disappearing.

Al and Cheryl Granger business was not physically damaged by any of the six major storms hitting the state during the past two-years.  But like those to the east and west of them that were, they are struggling to survive.

“That Hurricane Ida in the east makes me cry for those people, we were blessed over here,” said Cheryl Granger who operates the store while her husband shrimps.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

 

Hurricanes cost Louisiana’s commercial seafood sector USD 580 million since 2020

January 28, 2022 — Chauvin, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based shrimp firm Pearl Inc. suffered USD 8.5 million (EUR ) worth of damage due to Hurricane Ida in August 2021. The company’s plant sustained 180-mph winds for approximately six hours, with its freezer getting blown away and the plant getting nearly completely leveled, according to owner Andrew Blanchard.

Blanchard’s business was one of thousands in Louisiana’s seafood industry impacted by hurricanes Ida, Laura, Delta, and Zeta over the past two years. A new report released by Louisiana Sea Grant and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries found the four hurricanes since 2020 cost the seafood industry in the U.S. state of Louisiana almost USD 580 million (EUR 521 million) in losses to infrastructure, revenue, and resources. The report documents extreme damage and loss of revenue over all five sectors of the industry: commercial fishermen, recreational fishing, docks, processors, and marinas.

Read the full story from National Fisherman at SeafoodSource

 

World’s biggest offshore wind developers eyeing Louisiana for Gulf’s first turbines

January 24, 2022 — The Texas coast may have better winds for offshore wind development, but it’s Louisiana’s political winds that are drawing the interest of the industry’s two biggest players.

Orsted and RWE, which rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the booming offshore wind market, both highlighted Louisiana’s political support for offshore wind in letters to federal energy regulators tasked with readying the Gulf of Mexico for what could be a flurry of offshore wind development.

RWE, a German company that has renewable energy operations in 15 countries, urged regulators to focus on Louisiana despite studies showing Texas has a clear advantage with stronger, more consistent wind speeds.

“To date, Louisiana is the only state along the Gulf of Mexico that has signaled its interest in pursuing an offshore wind policy to meet its climate objectives,” Kate McKeever, an RWE manager of U.S. government affairs, told the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, also known as BOEM.

Read the full story from the Times-Picayune at the Rome News-Tribune